"Funny how a melody sounds like a memory... like the soundtrack to a July Saturday night." This line from Eric Church's "Springsteen" shows us just how important music is to our memories. Just like the smell of biscuits and bacon transports our minds back to Grandma's kitchen, music takes us back to another time and place.
Country music gains its popularity because it tells a story - our story. Here are 14 country songs reminding you of your hometown. Whether you're just off at college or you moved away for good, these songs will always make you think of home.
1. "I'm From The Country" - Tracy Byrd
"Everybody knows everybody. Everybody calls you friend. You don't need an invitation, kick off your shoes, come on in..."
2. "These Are My People" - Rodney Atkins
"Well, we take it all week on the chin with a grin, 'til we make it to Friday night. And it's church league softball. Holler 'bout a bad call. Preacher breaking up the fight..."
3. "I'll Sing About Mine" - Josh Abbott Band
"That’s what made me who I am today. Gave me a million songs to play, and when the radio’s on, I just don’t understand. Because tractors ain’t sexy, and workin' is hard for small town people like me. And the radio’s full of rich folks singin' 'bout places they’ve never seen..."
4. "Small Town USA" - Justin Moore
"A lot of people called it prison when I was growin' up, but these are my roots, and this is what I love. 'Cause everybody knows me, and I know them, and I believe that's the way we were supposed to live. I wouldn't trade one single day here in small town USA..."
5. "Raise On It" - Sam Hunt
"Cheap gas and ready ice, trunk music and headlight fights, dodging the smoke from a riverbank fire. A pretty girl and a pickup line like, 'Hey, what's your name? You know smoke follows beauty, baby?'"
6. "17" - Cross Canadian Ragweed
"You're always seventeen in your hometown. Runnin' from your folks, runnin' from the law. Runnin' from love, runnin' from your fears, runnin' from it all.."
7. "Where I Come From" - Montgomery Gentry
"Where I come from, there's an old plow boy out turning up dirt. Where I come from, there's a preacher man in a cowboy shirt..."
8. "My Town" - Montgomery Gentry
"Where I was born, where I was raised, where I keep all my yesterdays..."
9. "More Trucks Than Cars" - Craig Morgan
"Where there’s biscuits, grits, and gravy, and the waitress calls you baby, and the starlight’s like a streetlight on a summer night. We say, 'Hell, yeah' and 'Amen', 'Yeehaw', and 'Y’all come back again'..."
10. "Meanwhile Back at Mama's" - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
"Meanwhile back at Mama's, the porch light's on. Come on in, if you wanna. Supper's on the stove, and beer's in the fridge. Red sun sinkin' out low on the ridge..."
11. "10,000 Towns" - Eli Young Band
"We'll be hittin' that Main Street hot on a cool night. Sneakin' a six pack kiss at a red light. Circlin' up out back behind that Texaco..."
12. "American Kids" - Kenny Chesney
"We were 'Jesus save me', blue-jean baby, born in the USA. Trailer park, truck stop, faded little map dots, New York to LA..."
13. "Boondocks" - Little Big Town
"You get a line, I'll get a pole. We'll go fishing in a crawfish hole. Five-card poker on a Saturday night, church on Sunday morning..."
14. "Tattoos on this Town" - Jason Aldean
"It sure left it's mark on us. We sure left our mark on it. We let the world know we were here with everything we did. We laid a lot of memories down like tattoos on this town..."
